Tanka people: Difference between revisions
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==History== |
==History== |
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===Native to Southern China=== |
===Native to Southern China=== |
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The Tanka are considered aboriginals like the other minority peoples of southern China such as the the Lu and Lai people (Miao).<ref>{{cite book |author=Tê-chʻao Chêng |title=Acculturation of the Chinese in the United States: a Philadelphia study|url=http://books.google.com/books?ei=fAs2TuOUJYKTtwfdg7nqDA&ct=result&id=7b41AAAAIAAJ&dq=Among+the+aboriginal+tribes%2C+the+%22lu%22+%28H%29+tribe+is+the+largest%2C+then+%22Lai%22+%285%C2%A3%29%2C+the+%22I%22%28%5E%7C%29or+more+commonly+called+the%22Miao%22+%28IS%29%2C+and+the+%22Tanka%22+%28%C2%AEiO-+The+mixture+of+these+peoples+with+the+%22Han%22+people+therefore+caused+all+Ihe&q=tanka+lai |archiveurl= |archivedate= |accessdate=2011 October 29 |type= |edition= |series= |volume= |date= |year=1948 |month= |origyear= |publisher=University of Pennsylvania. |location= |language= |isbn= |page=27 |pages= |at= |chapter= |quote=Among the aboriginal tribes, the "lu" (H) tribe is the largest, then "Lai" (5£), the "I"(^|)or more commonly called the"Miao" (IS), and the "Tanka" (®iO- The mixture of these peoples with the "Han" people therefore caused all the cultural variations and racial complexity |}}</ref> |
The Tanka are considered aboriginals like the other minority peoples of southern China such as the the Lu and Lai people (Miao).<ref>{{cite book |author=Tê-chʻao Chêng |title=Acculturation of the Chinese in the United States: a Philadelphia study|url=http://books.google.com/books?ei=fAs2TuOUJYKTtwfdg7nqDA&ct=result&id=7b41AAAAIAAJ&dq=Among+the+aboriginal+tribes%2C+the+%22lu%22+%28H%29+tribe+is+the+largest%2C+then+%22Lai%22+%285%C2%A3%29%2C+the+%22I%22%28%5E%7C%29or+more+commonly+called+the%22Miao%22+%28IS%29%2C+and+the+%22Tanka%22+%28%C2%AEiO-+The+mixture+of+these+peoples+with+the+%22Han%22+people+therefore+caused+all+Ihe&q=tanka+lai |archiveurl= |archivedate= |accessdate=2011 October 29 |type= |edition= |series= |volume= |date= |year=1948 |month= |origyear= |publisher=University of Pennsylvania. |location= |language= |isbn= |page=27 |pages= |at= |chapter= |quote=Among the aboriginal tribes, the "lu" (H) tribe is the largest, then "Lai" (5£), the "I"(^|)or more commonly called the"Miao" (IS), and the "Tanka" (®iO- The mixture of these peoples with the "Han" people therefore caused all the cultural variations and racial complexity |}}</ref> |
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[[File:Hockchew Kuoh-da.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Fuzhou Tanka on their boats]] |
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There are several different views on the origin of Fuzhou Tanka. The mainstream theory believes that Fuzhou Tanka are descendants of the [[Baiyue]] of ancient times.<ref name="Origin and Migration of Mindong's Fishermen (闽东疍民的由来及历史变迁)"/> As a branch of the Tanka people, Fuzhou Tanka has been in [[Northern and southern China|South China]] for more than 2000 years.<ref name="闽江流域疍民的文化习俗形态">刘传标,[http://fass.net.cn/fassNews/fass_readnews.asp?NewsID=1933 闽江流域疍民的文化习俗形态] (in Chinese)</ref> Their [[Fuzhou dialect|Fuzhounese]] name "<font face="Lucida Sans Unicode">Kuóh-dà̤</font>" ([[wikt:曲|曲]][[wikt:蹄|蹄]]) is a derogatory term used by the [[Fuzhou people]] on land, which can be literally translated into "[[bowlegged]]" and might come from the bow shape of their legs caused by longtime living in the low cabins of their boats.<ref name="Local Annals of Min County (闽县乡土志)">Local Annals of Min County (闽县乡土志) (in Chinese)</ref><ref name="福州疍民调查">吴高梓：福州疍民调查[J]，社会学界（第四卷），1930 (in Chinese)</ref> The Amoy University anthropologist Ling Hui-hsiang wrote on his theory of the Fujian Tanka being descendants of the Bai Yue. He claimed that Guangdong and Fujian Tanka are definitely descended from the old Pai Yue peoples, and that they may have been ancestors of the Malay race.<ref>{{cite book |author=Murray A. Rubinstein |editor=Murray A. Rubinstein |title=Taiwan: a new history |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=FHqMJSM6dAYC&pg=PA34&dq=tanka+tribes+aboriginal&hl=en&ei=Jgs2TsX-N821twft-9GSDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CD8Q6AEwBTgU#v=onepage&q=tanka%20tribes%20aboriginal&f=false |archiveurl= |archivedate= |accessdate= |type= |edition=illustrated |series= |volume= |date= |year=2007 |month= |origyear= |publisher=M.E. Sharpe |location= |language= |isbn=0765614944 |page=34 |pages= |at= |chapter= |quote="which modern poeple are the Pai Yueh"..,...So is it possible that there is a relationship between the Pai Yueh and the Malay race?...Today in riverine estuaries of Fukien and Kwangtung are another Yueh people, the Tanka ("boatpeople"). Might some of them have left the Yueh tribes and set out on the seas? (1936: 117) |}}</ref> |
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During the British colonial era in Hong Kong, the Tanka were considered a separate ethnic group from the Punti, Hakka, and Hoklo.<ref>{{cite book |last1= |first1= |authorlink1= |last2= |first2= |authorlink2= |coauthors= |editor1-first= |editor1-last= |editor1-link= |others= |title=Middle East and Africa |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=vWLRxJEU49EC&pg=PA358&dq=tanka+tribes+aboriginal&hl=en&ei=Jgs2TsX-N821twft-9GSDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CE8Q6AEwCDgU#v=onepage&q=tanka%20tribes%20aboriginal&f=false |archiveurl= |archivedate= |accessdate=2011 October 29|type= |edition= |series= |volume= |date= |year=1996 |month= |origyear= |publisher=Taylor & Francis |location= |language= |isbn=1884964044 |page=358 |pages= |at= |chapter= |quote=When the British appropriated the territory in the nineteenth century, they found these three major ethnic groups — Punti, Hakka, and Tanka — and one minority, the Hoklo, who were sea-nomads from the northern shore of Guangdong and|}}</ref> Punti is another name for Cantonese people, who are Han chinese, the Hakka and hoklo are also Han chinese. |
During the British colonial era in Hong Kong, the Tanka were considered a separate ethnic group from the Punti, Hakka, and Hoklo.<ref>{{cite book |last1= |first1= |authorlink1= |last2= |first2= |authorlink2= |coauthors= |editor1-first= |editor1-last= |editor1-link= |others= |title=Middle East and Africa |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=vWLRxJEU49EC&pg=PA358&dq=tanka+tribes+aboriginal&hl=en&ei=Jgs2TsX-N821twft-9GSDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CE8Q6AEwCDgU#v=onepage&q=tanka%20tribes%20aboriginal&f=false |archiveurl= |archivedate= |accessdate=2011 October 29|type= |edition= |series= |volume= |date= |year=1996 |month= |origyear= |publisher=Taylor & Francis |location= |language= |isbn=1884964044 |page=358 |pages= |at= |chapter= |quote=When the British appropriated the territory in the nineteenth century, they found these three major ethnic groups — Punti, Hakka, and Tanka — and one minority, the Hoklo, who were sea-nomads from the northern shore of Guangdong and|}}</ref> Punti is another name for Cantonese people, who are Han chinese, the Hakka and hoklo are also Han chinese. |
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Revision as of 15:48, 30 October 2011
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2008) |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 4,569,000 [1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 China | Guangdong Guangxi Fujian Hainan Zhejiang |
| Languages | |
| Tanka dialect of Yue Chinese, Fuzhou dialect of Min Dong Chinese (Fuzhou Tanka), other varieties of Chinese | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Mahayana Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Traditional Chinese religion. | |
| Tanka people | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese | 1. 蜑家/疍家 2. 艇家 3. 水上人 4. 曲蹄 5. 蜑民 6. 曲蹄囝 | ||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | 1. Dàn (egg/vermin/..., used only as proper noun in Modern Chinese) families 2. boat households 3. people on water 4. crooked hoof, bowlegged 5. Dàn people 6. crooked hoof children; bowlegged children | ||||||||||||||
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The Tankas (蜑家/疍家, pinyin: Dànjiā, jyutpin: Daan6gaa1) or Boat people is a special group of people in China that has traditionally lived on junks in coastal parts of Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Hainan, and Zhejiang provinces, as well as Hong Kong and Macau. Though many now live onshore, some members of the older generations still live on their narrow boats and pursue their traditional livelihood of fishing.
A small number of Tankas also live in parts of Vietnam. There they are called Dan (Đản, Đàn?) and classified as a subgroup of the Ngái ethnicity.
Note on the term
The term Tanka is now considered derogatory and no longer in common use. These boat-dwelling people are now referred to in Chinese as 水上人家 (pinyin: shui shang ren; literally, "people on water"). No standardized English translation of this term exists, and "Boat People" is a commonly used translation, although it may be confused with the similar term that applies to Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong. The term "Boat Dwellers" was proposed by Dr. Lee Ho Yin of The University of Hong Kong in 1999, and it has been adopted by the Hong Kong Museum of History for its permanent exhibition.[1]
History
Native to Southern China
The Tanka are considered aboriginals like the other minority peoples of southern China such as the the Lu and Lai people (Miao).[2] ==Origin and etymology==
There are several different views on the origin of Fuzhou Tanka. The mainstream theory believes that Fuzhou Tanka are descendants of the Baiyue of ancient times.[3] As a branch of the Tanka people, Fuzhou Tanka has been in South China for more than 2000 years.[4] Their Fuzhounese name "Kuóh-dà̤" (曲蹄) is a derogatory term used by the Fuzhou people on land, which can be literally translated into "bowlegged" and might come from the bow shape of their legs caused by longtime living in the low cabins of their boats.[5][6] The Amoy University anthropologist Ling Hui-hsiang wrote on his theory of the Fujian Tanka being descendants of the Bai Yue. He claimed that Guangdong and Fujian Tanka are definitely descended from the old Pai Yue peoples, and that they may have been ancestors of the Malay race.[7]
During the British colonial era in Hong Kong, the Tanka were considered a separate ethnic group from the Punti, Hakka, and Hoklo.[8] Punti is another name for Cantonese people, who are Han chinese, the Hakka and hoklo are also Han chinese.
Qing dynasty
Originally the Tankas includes many refugees to the sea and were considered a non-Chinese aboriginal ethnic group and were classified by the Qing government as "mean".[9][10] The Yongzheng Emperor freed them and several other "mean" groups from this status in a series of edicts from 1723 to 1731.[11] They mostly worked as fishermen and tended to gather at some bays. Some built markets or villages on the shore, while others continued to live on their junks or boats. They claimed to be Han Chinese.[12]
The Tankas arrived in Hong Kong around the 7-9th century from the Malay Oceanic.[citation needed] As Hong Kong developed, some of the fishing grounds in Hong Kong became badly polluted or were reclaimed, and so became land. Those Tankas who only own small boats and cannot fish far out to sea are forced to stay inshore in bays, gathering together like floating villages.[citation needed]
In 1937, Walter Schofield, then a Cadet Officer in the Hong Kong Civil Service, wrote that at that time the Tankas were "boat-people [who sometimes lived] in boats hauled ashore, or in more or less boat-shaped huts, as at Shau Kei Wan and Tai O". Their chief centres were reported to be harbours: Cheung Chau, Aberdeen, Tai O, Po Toi, Kau Sai Chau and Yau Ma Tei.[13]
DNA tests
Tests on the DNA of the Tanka people found that the disease Cooley's anaemia was common among the Tanka, and it also stated that the ancestors of the Tanka were not Han chinese, but were native people.[14]
See also
References
This article incorporates text from The Middle kingdom: a survey of the ... Chinese empire and its inhabitants ..., by Samuel Wells Williams, a publication from 1848, now in the public domain in the United States.- This article incorporates text from Correspondence respecting the alleged existence of Chinese slavery in Hong Kong: presented to both Houses of Parliament by Command of Her Majesty Volume 3185 of C (Series) (Great Britain. Parliament), by Great Britain. Parliament, a publication from 1882, now in the public domain in the United States.
- ^ Architectural Conservation Office, HKSAR Government. (2008). Heritage Impact Assessment Report of the Yau Ma Tei Theatre & Red Brick Building, p.5
- ^ Tê-chʻao Chêng (1948). Acculturation of the Chinese in the United States: a Philadelphia study. University of Pennsylvania. p. 27. Retrieved 2011 October 29.
Among the aboriginal tribes, the "lu" (H) tribe is the largest, then "Lai" (5£), the "I"(^
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameters:|2=and|month=(help); Text ")or more commonly called the"Miao" (IS), and the "Tanka" (®iO- The mixture of these peoples with the "Han" people therefore caused all the cultural variations and racial complexity" ignored (help) - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Origin and Migration of Mindong's Fishermen (闽东疍民的由来及历史变迁)was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ 刘传标,闽江流域疍民的文化习俗形态 (in Chinese)
- ^ Local Annals of Min County (闽县乡土志) (in Chinese)
- ^ 吴高梓：福州疍民调查[J]，社会学界（第四卷），1930 (in Chinese)
- ^ Murray A. Rubinstein (2007). Murray A. Rubinstein (ed.). Taiwan: a new history (illustrated ed.). M.E. Sharpe. p. 34. ISBN 0765614944.
"which modern poeple are the Pai Yueh"..,...So is it possible that there is a relationship between the Pai Yueh and the Malay race?...Today in riverine estuaries of Fukien and Kwangtung are another Yueh people, the Tanka ("boatpeople"). Might some of them have left the Yueh tribes and set out on the seas? (1936: 117)
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|1=and|month=(help) - ^ Middle East and Africa. Taylor & Francis. 1996. p. 358. ISBN 1884964044. Retrieved 2011 October 29.
When the British appropriated the territory in the nineteenth century, they found these three major ethnic groups — Punti, Hakka, and Tanka — and one minority, the Hoklo, who were sea-nomads from the northern shore of Guangdong and
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameters:|1=,|coauthors=, and|month=(help) - ^ 疍民研究进展及文化地理学研究的新视角
- ^ Samuel Wells Williams (1848). The Middle kingdom: a survey of the ... Chinese empire and its inhabitants ... (3 ed.). Wiley & Putnam. p. 321. Retrieved 2011-5-08.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Great Britain. Parliament (1882). Correspondence respecting the alleged existence of Chinese slavery in Hong Kong: presented to both Houses of Parliament by Command of Her Majesty Volume 3185 of C (Series) (Great Britain. Parliament) (reprint ed.). Printed by G.E. Eyre and W. Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O. p. 55. Retrieved February 19, 2011.
- ^ （水上居民）不见“连体船”
- ^ W. Schofield: "The islands around Hong Kong (text of a talk given in 1937)", from Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch, Vol. 23, 1983
- ^ Cooley's anaemia among the tanka of South China, A.J.S. McFadzean, D. Todd